Questionable NFL buyouts to pave way for league's international pursuit

The NFL's pursuit of international expansion is costing people their jobs.

On Wednesday, Sports Business Journal's Terry Lefton and Ben Fischer reported, "Around 60 NFL league employees have taken a voluntary buyout offered to around 200 workers in early January," with most of the buyouts offered to employees within NFL Films and the league's finance department.

In explaining the decision, Lefton and Fischer note that the NFL released a statement stating, "We have defined the League's strategic priorities and identified areas for significant growth and investment," with "international expansion" topping the list that also includes "the growth of flag football and the continued development of media and digital platforms."

A league that generates roughly $19 billion in revenue and recently announced a record $30 million salary cap hike to $255.4 million could probably fund those pursuits without buying employees out of their contracts.

The cuts to NFL Films, particularly, are questionable for the league's attempts to promote itself to an international audience. The film department has produced excellent content over the years, with multiple Sports Emmys to show for it. 

The decision to funnel resources from NFL Films is likely partly due to the league's joint venture with Skydance Media in Nov. 2022 to expand Skydance Sports.

At the time, NFL.com reported, "Skydance Sports and NFL Films will now team up to significantly expand multi-platform programming across sports in a broad range of formats for partners, fans, and viewers around the world," which certainly aligns with the league's top priorities.

In February 2023, Sportico's Eben Novy-Williams discussed the league's prime concerns, which included new media ventures such as "direct-to-consumer efforts" and international growth.

The league signed its most recent media rights deal with Amazon, CBS, ESPN, Fox and NBC in 2021 and runs through 2032. It's possible the league seriously pushes for international expansion to coincide with the next round of negotiations.

As Novy-Williams notes, that would open up another time window for the league to air games, potentially with a network bidding on its exclusive rights.

"The international games also help the NFL's business back home," wrote Novy-Williams. "The 9:30 a.m. ET start times ... normalize another TV window back in the U.S."

"It's a playbook the league used with Thursday night games," continued Novy-Williams, "which started in 2006, and were incubated on NFL Network before becoming a $1.3 billion [per] year property."

International expansion is coming to the NFL, and the league's recent round of buyouts could accelerate that timeline.